Schizo

by Jeff Sanger

When Spencer awakens to find himself strapped down to a gurney inside a psychiatric hospital with no memory of how he got there his life is forever changed. Set in Tempe, Arizona in the mid 90's, Schizo follows one young man's efforts to come to terms with what’s happening to his mind and his family. Though his doctor and his father are convinced he has schizophrenia Spencer isn’t so sure. His allies in his quest for autonomy and freedom from forced medication include his older brother and a homeless youth he meets at the psychiatric hospital, but in the end Spencer has to face what it means to be labeled “Schizo” alone.
Jeff Sanger worked in the mental health field for over 14 years and received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004. He developed Schizo into a one act play titled “Crazy” which was produced as part of the 2011 Pittsburgh New Works Festival. This is his first novel.

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2013

Reviews

[Cheryl Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into mental illness

Spencer wakes in a psychiatric hospital to be told he broke into a house and assaulted hospital personnel. His doctor tells him he has schizophrenia, but Spencer doesn't believe he is ill and refuses to comply with treatment.

This book gives a fascinating insight into the overall good of coerced treatment and commonly held viewpoints in the mental health community. Some doctors see medication as the holy grail of psychiatry when indeed it is not.

[Chad]

The story follows Spencer, who probably has schizophrenia, but refuses to believe his "symtoms" (hearing voices, etc.) are anything less than a conspiracy against him. He does his best to refuse treatment and medication, and gives into his delusions, until they threaten to ruin all of his important relationships.

Sanger's note at the end of the novel provides a lot of insight. He contends that if medical professionals completely discredit a person's lived experience (even if that experience includes delusions) that the patient is much less likely to accept help. It's telling that at the end of the novel Spencer is still very wary about traditional methods of help, such as medication. Simply forcing medication on a patient may not be the most productive approach.

This book doesn't profess to have the answers, but helps readers understand the viewpoint of someone experiencing schizophrenic symptoms in order to understand why they may be resistant to traditional professional help.